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While an infrared sauna can definitely be a useful tool for weight
loss, there are some important things to consider when you're buying
one specifically for that purpose. It's important to remember is
that using an infrared sauna is just one component of a comprehensive
healthy lifestyle. Consider running about 2 to 3 miles every day.
While extremely helpful, running isn't going to cause major weight
loss unless you combine it with a healthy diet, and other types
of regular exercise.
LOOSING THE WEIGHT
Specifically, an infrared sauna can help contribute to weight
loss through the effect that it has on your cardiovascular system.
As your core temperature rises due to the infrared heat, this increases
your heart rate, cardiac output, and metabolic rates. Blood vessels
dilate, allowing the heated blood of the body’s interior
to cool at the skin’s surface. This process requires a significant
amount of energy: producing one gram of sweat requires 0.586 kcal.
The use of a sauna for weight loss is nothing new. As reported
in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on August
7, 1981, “A moderately conditioned person can easily sweat
off 500 grams in a sauna, consuming nearly 300 kcal—the equivalent
of running 2 to 3 miles. A heat-conditioned person can easily sweat
off 600 - 800 kcal with no adverse effects. While the weight
of the water loss can be regained by re-hydration with water, the
calories consumed will not be."
The JAMA citation referred to above goes on to state that "many
of us who run do so to place a demand on our cardiovascular system,
not to build big leg muscles. Regular use of a sauna may impart
a similar stress on the cardiovascular system, and its regular
use may be as effective, as a means of cardiovascular conditioning
and burning of calories, as regular exercise."
CELLULITE
Cellulite is primarily caused by female hormones and estrogens,
which make blood vessels more vulnerable to liquids. As these liquids
accumulate among connective cells, circulation and local lipid
(fat) metabolism decreases because they do not receive sufficient
oxygen to burn fat. Fat cells continue to retain fat, growing larger
in volume, generating more and more cellulite.
Similarly, there is a direct link between the slowing of metabolic
rates and the storage of toxins in fat cells, which, again, tend
to build up in the posterior area. Sauna use and infrared heat
can increase heart rate and localized blood circulation, which
essentially reverses the above-mentioned trends towards the accumulation
of liquids in the fat cells.
PLEASE NOTE: All information within
this site is provided for informational and educational purposes
only. Pure Elements, does not provide medical advice or
treatment. This information is not meant to substitute for the
advice provided by your personal physician or any other medical
professional. If you have certain health conditions, consult with
your physician for clearance before you purchase a sauna. You should
not use the information contained herein for diagnosing or treating
a health problem or disease. If you have or suspect that you have
a medical problem, promptly contact your health care provider.
Information and statements regarding products on this site have
not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are
not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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